Dancers Called to Action

As we triage which loss to attend to amidst a global pandemic...let us consider my wedding.

As the world continues to hurt and grieve, here is how to reclaim your power.

Coronavirus is ripping through our world...but we can do hard things.

A raw story about a long season of unraveling the narrative about not being "good enough" to dance...a sad, long, dark season where I actively planned out who to give my classes and studio to so that I could walk away from dance forever.

Whenever I’m in my car listening to my favorite playlist, the improv in my head is just amazing. My instincts and creative flow are magic. So, why the heck can’t I get my actual improv to match?!

Until this episode, I had no idea that the phrase "stuck in my head" was so universal. Brandon and I talk about watching our dancers get stuck, how to calibrate dancer's expectations, whether dancers should learn the history of their genres and more.

Ah, I am so excited for you to meet Brandon! Since day one, we've had a great connection over dance that developed into an irreplaceable friendship. In this episode, Brandon and I start exploring a question that seems to sit below the surface of every conversation we have-- what does it mean to reimagine dance? How is our current state of dance hurting us and preventing us from experiencing possibility?

Last year I decided to never compete again. The world of competition dance seems like an oxymoron. H

The body knows. It knows and it doesn't forget, no matter how much we pretend...

I tried a thing-- a thing that failed. But it led to a discovery: the way we've been learning dance is a relic of the past.

We're obsessed. Obsessed with fulfillment, passion, and chasing dreams. How is that working for us? Since when did enjoying something mandate we take it to extremes? And what, WHAT, do you really want from dance?

Ugh. The body and mind is a messy little game. Why do we constantly confuse our own spirit?

If you're looking to make some changes in 2020, I'm with you. Rather than talk theory, I decided to open up about my number one dance goal and work through the most effective way to conquer it in 2020. Partner up with me on this one...I could use the help.

Before we do one more step, project, or take one more class, let's do this: return to a natural state of being. The one that found that 98% of five-year-olds can be labeled "genius" while only applying to 2% of adults. Your inner five-year-old genius is waiting for you to come home.

I remember watching my little brother get coached in baseball. Whenever he was struggling, the coach would say "let's get back to basics", and sure enough, as they revisited the fundamentals...something was off. It's so easy to forget the basics because we put those on autopilot while we move on to the shiner things. In today's episode, I am sharing a single part of the Dance Junkie's Training. Hold onto it for dear life while everyone is trying to stuff your face with cookies and stress you out with holiday plans.

In 2005, I met a man who forever changed me. We all have a Mark. Here's mine...

"Do what you love and you'll never have to work a day in your life." It's a nice notion, but when what you love is such a personal form of expression, how do we stop our greatest passion from becoming our greatest stressor? Well...maybe it's not your greatest passion...

The dancers who pioneered our world did so because they refused to let the white noise of conformity take the lead role. You are just as brilliant as they are. Now get off yer keister and do something about it.

While we may know social media isn’t reality, after so little exposure to truth, we do lose perspective. Here’s an open look at the pitfalls of a career a dance.

Let’s talk about the way we disconnect body from mind and go to war in the studio as we explore the link between dance and mental health.

The science, the art, the skill of picking up movement more quickly.

A logistical run down of options to create a space at home where you can escape and boogie down.

Body awareness is step one to stronger performance, less injury, and greater muscle memory. But what the heck is it and how do we get it?

I loved spending time with Amanda. She’s fearless, full of energy, and giving hope to more dancers than she’s aware of. She’s just turned 18 years old and not letting any toxic standards hold her back. Take note.

We all want better, so here are seven immediately implementable tools to move you forward. This episode is about execution.

There are five memorable and poignant moments in my life where dance “came for me”. Like a loving but brutally honest friend, my best dance lessons have nothing to do with a studio or class.

Feeling uninspired, stuck, or stagnant is inevitable, but it is how the dancer moves through these seasons that can tell us what they’re really made of. You can be a creative professional or a frustrated amateur, no matter what your skill set is.

Ever heard of intention fallacy? Ever spoken crappy French to people for no good reason? In this episode we dive into this weird little thing so many of us have been taught, and are asked to make a decision about who we make things for.

Is it possible that as artists, we’ve completely made up rules and definitions just to create division? In this episode we walk about one subject that divides us and continuously gets in the way of our mission.

Dancers, Danyel Moulton is someone I absolutely adore and consider a friend. She came to teach a workshop, so I grabbed a camera and recorded our conversation as we chatted about her journey rising through the ranks of the hip-hop competition world to take first place at World of Dance this year. The audio is pretty low production value, as I wasn’t actually recording for podcast purposes, so you will have to listen with a forgiving ear, but if you’re interested in hearing the process of an award-winning choreographer and an all-around warrior spirit, this one is for you. Note: I reference a moment of her set in the intro of this episode, if you want to see the magic for yourself, head to YouTube and check out VMO Maxt Out 2018

In episode one we talk about Sonder and the way it follows us: in and out of the studio, into our creative work, into the way we see others.

In this intro episode, you’ll meet our host, April Maclean, and get a glimpse into the inspiration and promise of a podcast created build and nurture a tribe of empowered dancers.